Drivaware announces LaneFX - The First Active Blind Spot Exposure System

Ann Arbor, Mich., June 5, 2006 - Drivaware® Inc. today announced the production release and immediate availability of  its debut driver awareness product: LaneFX™.  LaneFX® is an innovative automotive product that transforms a vehicle's power side mirrors into an on-demand Active Blind Spot Exposure System.

Whenever a turn signal is activated, or at the press of a button, LaneFX® moves the corresponding power mirror outward to sweep and expose the vehicle's blind spot. It pauses long enough for the driver to scan for any objects that may be lurking in the blind spot zone. Then, it reliably returns the power side mirror back to its original, driver-set position.
LaneFX™'s Patent Pending technology is designed from the ground up to be entirely universal. LaneFX® works with any vehicle equipped with power mirrors, new or pre-owned, domestic or import, including the most ECU-intensive and multiplexed vehicles on the market today. LaneFX® is packed with driver awareness features and is highly-customizable to the driver's preferences. Drivers can personalize how far each mirror expands, how long it pauses, and how fast it should move altogether. All customizations can be made separately to the driver-side and passenger-side power mirrors.
Khaled Malhas, Drivaware Founder & President said: "According to NHTSA, 1 out of 25 collisions on America's highways today is due to improper lane changes/merges. Further, J.D. Power & Associates has reported that blind spot systems were the second-most requested automotive technology by consumers in 2005. We recognized that the driver awareness / lane change segment is gaining significant momentum. As a result, we designed LaneFX® as a sensor-less blind spot exposure system that is truly universal and that we can drive through multiple channels including: auto dealers, mobile electronics / aftermarket retailers, as well as the OEM and tier-1 supplier channel."

"We're always looking for added revenue opportunities from a every vehicle sale." says Jeff Scott, Principal and General Manager, Dick Scott Automotive Group based in metro Detroit, Mich., "it's always challenging to introduce aftermarket products after a customer has decided on a vehicle. We signed on with the LaneFX® Pilot Dealer Program because I was impressed with how simply the product can be demonstrated to vehicle buyers and how quickly our customers see value in its impact on their daily commute."

"We've all been taught to turn our heads away from the traffic ahead to check our blind spot. During an average blind spot check, a vehicle travels more than half of a football field, unattended!" adds Khaled Malhas, "With LaneFX™, we allow drivers to stay focused on the road ahead while showing the contents of their blind spot zone using a comfortable, familiar interface: The vehicle's side mirror."

In recently-announced OEM blind spot detection systems (such as ValeoRaytheon Systems' LaneVueT and Volvo's BLIST systems), a computer and a sensor make the critical decision on whether an object is present in the blind spot zone. Further, such systems report these results through an interface that is entirely new to the driver. In contrast, LaneFX® is a blind spot exposure system, not a detector. LaneFX® simply exposes the contents of the blind spot zone to drivers allowing them to make their own informed driving decisions. By using the vehicle's power side mirror, drivers use a familiar interface that has no learning curve as it is already associated with the act of changing lanes. 

LaneFX® is available now through select auto dealers, aftermarket retailers and directly through LaneFX.com. The current production release of the LaneFX® product line features a number of Patent Pending innovations, including:

1. Mirror Speed Boost: safely accelerates power mirror motor speeds up to 200% of OEM speed for maximum responsiveness,

2. Turn Signal Link: with "Normal" and "Sticky" turn signal modes to suit any driving style,

3. Merge Mode: holds a mirror outward for as long as the driver needs to merge into traffic,

4. Intelligent Installs Technology: LaneFX® can self-learn the electrical configuration of the host vehicle with no need for complex programming,

5. ParkFX - Park Assist & Curb Exposure System: tilts one or both side mirrors downwards when the vehicle is engaged in reverse, and

6. "Mirror-in-Motion" LED indicators.

Media Contacts:
Kimberly Simpson
Drivaware Inc.
+1.734.649.3949
kimberly.simpson@drivaware.com

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Automakers are Designing New Car Gadgets Focused on Driver Safety and Awareness

Safer Lane Changes is Just One of the Latest Trends to Include Advanced Gadgets in New SUV Models

Every new car season brings with it a dazzling assortment of high-tech gadgets and an equally formidable barrage of hype aimed at romancing you into this year's model.

What's hot and what's hype? We posed that question to Paul Duchene, a national automotive writer based in Portland, Ore.

"There are a lot of gizmos this year and some of them are good, too," he says. "One of the reasons is there are a lot of new models and a whole bunch of updates this year, including the Nissan 350Z, Mazda's RX-8 and BMW's Z4 and 745i, the car some critics have informally dubbed 'the quarter to eight.'"

Let's put the pedal to the metal and cruise some of this year's hottest new gadgets:

Intelligent cruise control: This lends new dimension to the term "keeping up with the Joneses." Previously, cruise control was a simple proposition: You set your speed and your car maintained it until you tapped the brake or manually turned it off. Infiniti's new wrinkle uses a laser beam to measure the distance between you and the vehicle ahead and maintains a preset distance until you disengage it. The upside is you can't tailgate. The downside depends on the driving skills of the guy in front of you.

Directional stability: This is a little like having your mother-in-law in the back seat, only quieter. "You go into a corner too hard and the car basically figures out that it's about to change direction from where you want it to go and will selectively apply, say, a rear brake on one side just to keep it going in the line that it senses it's pointed," says Duchene. And he tested it. Hard. "It really works, way past the point that it makes sense."

Mouse control: It had to happen and finally does with BMW's 7 series. That dial-shaped gizmo where a stick shift would normally reside is called iDrive and it controls the heat, air, audio level and other cabin-related functions. This gives you a sleek, button-free dashboard. Beginners, however, need to look at the in-dash display to use it.

Voice-recognition system: Sure, we all talk, even scream, at our cars on occasion. Now Infiniti presents one that finally listens. The Q45 voice recognition system allows you to change CDs, adjust the temperature, access your GPS navigation system or make a hands-free cell phone call, all through voice command. The system understands 50,000 words in 150 dialects and even learns the sound of your voice. Hal, is that you?

Run-flat tires: No matter how high-tech your ride, there are four things all cars have in common, and they still go flat from time to time. Run-flat tires don't prevent flats, but they will get you to a repair shop. "When you run over a nail and the tire goes flat, if you keep it under 30 miles per hour, it will get you someplace where you can change it," Duchene explains. "Part of the reason they can do it is that performance tires are much lower profile and deform much less, so you can make stiffer sidewalls."

Mobile entertainment: New minivans approximate all the comforts of home: Pop-down DVD screens, earphone ports, even a remote control to fight over. That takes care of the kids; now what about Mom and Dad? How about coast-to-coast, commercial-free satellite radio? For the cost of a radio receiver ($300 and up) and service (less than $15 a month), you can receive 70 channels of commercial-free music and 40 channels of news, talk, sports and entertainment programming from such providers as XM and Sirius. It sure beats choruses of, "Are we there yet?"

Limp-home mode: How smart is the Cadillac Northstar engine? If you blow a radiator hose, the Northstar automatically reverts to limp-home mode, shutting the gas supply off in several cylinders and turning the engine into a quasi-air cool system. You won't set any land speed records, but your engine will survive the damage you unwittingly might have done to it.

DVD navigation: Because of the limited data storage capacity of earlier onboard GPS satellite-navigation systems, you had to reinstall a different CD of map displays if you wanted to travel to other parts of the country. With the new DVD-based systems, all of North America is now your oyster. Does it play movies, too? Duchene chuckles: "The Lexus system has the ability to play movie DVDs on its screen, but it won't play if you're in gear, so you can't be watching a movie while you're driving down the road." We really didn't think so, but had to ask.

Automatic braking: Remember your mother-in-law in the back seat? Here's a feature that cleverly simulates the effect of her panicked stranglehold on you in a traffic crisis. "There are brake systems now that have a brains-override thing where they figure you're not braking hard enough for what's going on and will actually add power to the brakes," Duchene says. Easier on the esophagus, too.

Head restraint, side curtains and pre-tensioners: Luxury cars feature all the safety money can buy. In addition to standard forward and side airbags, many models now come with inflatable head-restraint bands along the top of the windshield and inflatable side window curtains. The Lexus system automatically cinches up your seat belt with pre-tensioners just milliseconds before impact. Cadillac's Escalade SUV uses sensors to analyze the size and weight of front-seat passengers and automatically deactivates the front air bag if it detects a child or rear-facing child seat riding shotgun. "Though not yet on the market, the car companies are developing a 'catcher's mitt' seat that, if things go wrong, just kind of grabs you and holds you in place," says Duchene.

Back-up assistance: If parallel parking is not your strong suit, you'll be pleased to hear about a couple systems designed to give you a better look at your rear end. GM's Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assistant uses four sensors to triangulate the position of objects behind you and guides you with both an audible chime and LED lights at the back window. Infiniti's RearView Monitor goes one step further and actually displays on the dashboard monitor a full-color video from a rear-mounted mini-cam. Now all you've got to do is find a parking space.

Automatic accident reporting: In the event of an accident, your car can now phone for help, even if you can't. "Some of this stuff now, if you have a crash, the car calls home and 911 and says, 'I've been hurt,'" Duchene says. "But that has its drawbacks. As one of my friends pointed out, sometimes when you make a mistake, you could use about 20 minutes to get away."

LaneFX proven better solution to the blind spot problem than stick-on convex blind spot mirrors

Why Turn Your Head Away From Traffic?

Turn your side mirror instead whenever you need to change lanes!

LaneFX is a controller that links your car's power mirrors and turn signals, and whenever you use your turn signal, it automatically moves the mirrors outwards so you can instantly see in your blind spot. LaneFX can also be outfitted with ParkFX, which tilts both mirrors down so you can see where you're parking.

What a great idea—this beats the hell out of that "objects are closer than appear" concept which gives you a distorted view of reality in that right-side rearview mirror.

LaneFX does make two assumptions, though: that you have power mirrors in your car and that you actually use your turn signals when you're going to change lanes. You do signal when you're changing lanes, don't you? Sale prices start below $170. What a deal! Get one in time for the holidays and have safer winter driving.

Gadget Gifts: The Must-Have Gadgets of 2006 Holida Season

Looking for great tech gear? Check out these magnificent seven.

Santa isn't the only one who's been making a list and checking it twice. Over the last year hundreds of gizmos have passed through Chez Freak, but only a handful inspire sincere gadget lust.

These devices all share certain traits: They serve a real need (read: not yet another iPod accessory). They're innovative. Most important, they're simple to use. Plug them in, turn them on, and they work. The way it should be.

iRobot Dirt Dog
Meet man's new best friend. iRobot's Dirt Dog is a sweeper designed for use in basements and garages. Just push the "Clean" button and stand back. It scuttles about picking up wood shavings, loose screws, and other weekend workshop detritus. The $130 price is worth howling about, too.

MusicGremlin
With the Wi-Fi-enabled MusicGremlin, you can download songs from any hotspot and then legally swap them with your buddies online. Sure, navigating through songs could be easier, and $300 (plus $15 a month for the music service) is pricey for a device with only 8GB of storage. But being able to download virtually any song, anytime, anywhere, is wicked cool.

Pure Digital Point and Shoot Camcorder
This pocket-size digital videocam lets you capture 30 minutes of decent-looking video in its 512MB of flash memory and then transfer the clips to your PC via a clever USB "arm" that swings out from the base of the unit. The camera's built-in software allows you to manage videos, e-mail downsized clips to friends, or share your masterpieces on Google Video with just a few clicks. The features are bare-bones--only 2X zoom, 640-by-480 clips, and minimal playback options on a 1.5-inch LCD--but then again, so is the $130 price.

PowerSquid Surge3000 Calimari
Even I find it odd how excited I am about this $80 power strip. Yes, it really looks like a squid: Six tentaclelike plugs extend to handle power bricks without blocking other sockets, and its surge protection (up to 3240 joules) keeps your pricey gear from getting fried. Two plugs even light up so you can find them in the dark. It's ideal for geeks with too many gadgets and nowhere to plug them.

Sony Reader
This device redefines the electronic book. Sony's glare-free screen and E Ink technology are amazing, the unit is push-button easy to use, and its 7-by-5-inch size strikes the perfect compromise between a PDA and a laptop. The $350 Reader can hold around 80 books in its 64MB of memory, and more when you add a Sony Memory Stick or an SD Card. Sony launched with about 10,000 titles in its proprietary e-book format (the unit also reads text, Acrobat, and Word files). Pricing and availability of titles will vary, but the gizmo itself is terrific. (For details, see our review.)

Zvox 325
One wire--that's all the Zvox 325 ($349) needs to produce booming audio from your TV, MP3 player, or DVD machine. Just plug in this VCR-size speaker unit and connect it to the device's headphone jack. Two knobs let you control volume and switch from stereo to surprisingly good surround sound. It's simplicity itself.

PicoCricket
I got this robotics kit for my 7-year-old daughter, but soon I was fighting her for it. PicoCricket ($250) combines Lego pieces and fuzzy pipe cleaners with sophisticated light, motion, and sound sensors. Kids build their own toys and then program them to respond to stimuli by dragging and dropping "PicoBlocks"--brightly colored shapes that represent different chunks of object-oriented code. So, for example, you can build a flower that plays music when the sun rises, or a birthday cake that lights up when you touch it. You'll need about 30 minutes with Pico's quick-start guide to master the basics, but far longer before you're willing to let your kids have at it.

A Merry Geekmas to all, and to all a good night.

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